Family Friendly places to eat at
intu Merry Hill: Pizza Express
intu Merry Hill: Pizza Express
We’re always looking for family friendly places to eat in when we’re out and about and this week has been no different. intu Merry Hill has lots of choice of eateries with food to suit all but some places are always going to be more child friendly than others so we popped over to the Pizza Express intu Merry Hill restaurant to see what it was like for ourselves. We’ve been to Pizza Express many times before, as we’re huge fans, but we always go to our local Sutton Coldfield one so it was really exciting to visit a different one to see what it was like.
First impressions were, wow, it was huge. It’s much bigger than we’d expected, with two floors and a huge dining area filled with booths and tables all in neat rows. It’s nice and bright inside as it’s huge windows let all the natural light in from outside which is very pretty. From the moment we entered to the moment we left, the staff were all wonderful. They were very attentive and couldn’t help us enough. The waitresses talked to the children and included them in the ordering process which was really nice. The children were definatley made to feel very welcome, they were never made to feel like burdens at all. It was great.
Both my younger two were given an activity pack and crayons to keep them entertained throughout our visit which worked really well. They had colouring, puzzles, stickers and more. The little booklet had lots to do on it which kept them busy in between courses. They also had hats which Ryan loved, Lily coloured hers in but then didn’t want to wear it.
The Pizza Express Piccolo Menu which is their Kids Menu costs £6.95 for a three course meal which consists of a Dough Ball and side salad Starter, Main of pizza or pasta and a Desert and Bambinoccino which is a frothed milk with a sprinkling of chocolate powder.
Both Ryan and Lily loved the Dough Balls, Ryan loves them because they’re all warm and squidgy when he puts them in his mouth. Lily loves them smothered in the garlic butter. We all love the Dough Balls at Pizza Express, there’s just something so moreish about them.
There’s a good choice of Mains to choose from, you can choose one of the three different pasta’s they have on offer or one of their four pizza’s but if you have fussy little eaters like I do, you can swap and change the toppings to create your own perfect pizza. Ryan doesn’t like any toppings so he went for the Margherita which Lily had too but added some ham to the top. The pizza’s were a good size and were very plentiful for them. They both managed to eat them all but Lily did struggle on her last slice as six slices was a lot.
The third and final course was Desert, Lily’s favourite. There’s three options to choose from: a Pip Organic Fruity Ice Lolly, a one scoop Sundae or a Chocolate Brownie with fresh strawberry. Each one comes served with a Bambinoccino on the side which is very cute. Ryan went for the Chocolate Brownie but Lily, who’s a huge Sorbet lover wanted my adult dessert of Raspberry Sorbet. As I’d ordered Lily an adult dessert the waitress kindly offered to box up another Chocolate Brownie dessert for her to take home which I was though was such a great idea. I’d not even realised we could do. that but was so glad the waitress told us. They popped in into a gorgeous little box and even put a giant Strawberry in with it.
The Pizza Express Piccola Menu is very good value for money and fills the kids up nicely. Ryan is 6 years and Lily is 9 and both really enjoyed their whole meal and dining experience. They were made to feel so welcome and comfortable at all times which enabled me to relax and enjoy myself too. It’s great being in a place that loves children and caters for them well as it takes the stress away and makes for a really nice eating out experience.
Pizza Express intu Merry Hill is very child friendly and a great place to eat out with kids.
The kids weren’t the only ones who had a good time though, Mummy, Daddy and Chloe (14) also had a great time. I’ve written a few words about what we enjoyed below:
Chloe had the Calzone Classico which she really enjoyed, it’s basically a folded pizza which still tastes great but is a little less messier and much easier to cut and eat.
Daddy had the American Romana which is his favourite as he has it every time we go. He also added some Cured Meats to the top to add even more meatiness and flavour.
I had the Pennette Formaggi which is their very own take on the classic Mac & Cheese which I love. It was served piping hot it was actually still bubbling around the sides which was awesome. It smelled and tasted so good too. The portion was quite big so I didn’t manage to eat it all but I did thoroughly enjoy every bite of what I did manage to eat.
For Dessert, I had their brand new show stopper on the menu, the Chocolate Fondant. OMG what a dessert, it was so delicious. It was a beautiful rich and intense chocolate cake served warm with a soft melting centre. It came served with a scoop of vanilla gelato, fresh mint and icing sugar. It was delightful and I would have enjoyed more of it if Chloe had not decided that she wanted to share once she’d seen how good it looked. She’s not wanted a dessert as she was too full but soon changed her mind when she how how great mine was.
If you’re having a dessert then we would all definitely recommend this one, it’s amazing!
Disclosure: We were invited for a complimentary Pizza Express Piccola Menu meal in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and all our own.
